There are many examples of groups of friends in horror movies that prove the ensemble approach is an effective storytelling tool in the genre. Some of the most exciting horror movies are about a group of friends who have fun while hanging out, only to realize they are in terrifying danger. Whether they’re about teenage serial killers or supernatural forces at work, these movies add emotional stakes. The most endearing and engaging horror movies are the ones where friends are in it together and look out for each other, even if not all of them make it out alive.
Slasher movie characters often fit the “group of friends” horror trope, usually involving young friends fleeing from some masked killer. However, there are a lot of interesting ways to explore the idea of friendship in horror movies with some stories telling genuinely touching stories of these close companions in horrific scenarios, while others test the limits of friendship with people turning on each other. While there are a lot of ways to approach horror movies, making a group of friends the center of the story has proven to add another layer to some of these standout horror gems.
35 Red State (2011)
Three Friends Are Captured By A Religious Cult
While Kevin Smith is mostly known for the Jay and Silent Bob movies, the filmmaker branched out into a new direction with Red State, his first horror project. Red State is a grounded take on the genre, mixing social commentary with a bleak tone and a bit of dark humor. The movie follows three high school friends who seek to lose their virginity with a local sex worker only to find they have been kidnapped by a radical and extreme religious group who seek to sacrifice them due to their sins.
Those familiar with Smith’s other movies might be shocked by how dark and cynical much of the movie is. Even the young main characters are not overly likable people. However, it is all the more effective when they find themselves in such a dire situation, fighting for their lives, and the audience is suddenly terrified for them. Smith is comfortable breaking storytelling norms in delivering some shocking outcomes for these characters that add to the impact of the movie.
34 Wrong Turn (2021)
The entire Wrong Turn franchise tends to deal with a group of friends becoming targeted by the sadistic and gruesome mutant cannibals. However, while many of the direct-to-video sequels only have these characters as one-dimensional slasher movie fodder, 2021’s Wrong Turn explored the main characters in more interesting ways while still putting them in thrilling danger. The reboot goes for a more grounded and serious tone that still works for the story.
Of course, there is a brutality to the community which makes for some gruesome moments.
It follows a group of friends who go on a hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail. However, when they go down the wrong path, they find themselves confronted with an isolated community of hill people. What is interesting about the movie is that it doesn’t make these people outright villains. Instead, the conflict arises because of how these urban tourists make assumptions. Of course, there is a brutality to the community which makes for some gruesome moments. Unlike the other Wrong Turn movies, the kills matter beyond the gore with the friends feeling real loss.
33 Talk To Me (2022)
Young Friends Communicate With The Dead
Communicating with the dead is a concept that has been explored in plenty of horror movies, but Talk to Me is one of the most effective. The horror film follows a group of high school friends who experiment with the supernatural rather than drugs and alcohol as they use a relic that allows them to speak to souls on the other side and even allow them to temporarily possess their bodies. However, this experience soon becomes an obsession for one young girl who lost her mother.
The supernatural world-building is made more effective by the fact that it feels like these are real young people hanging out.
One of the most effective things about this low-budget horror movie is how effectively it creates the feeling of these young friends hanging out. The supernatural world-building is made more effective by the fact that it feels like these are real young people hanging out. That setup adds to the terror when things inevitably take a turn later in the story.
32 In A Violent Nature (2024)
A Masked Killer Hunts A Group Of Campers
One of the most talked-about horror movies of 2024 is a loving throwback to the kind of horror movies like Friday the 13th. It follows a group of friends on a retreat into the woods where they accidentally awaken a relentless supernatural murderer, a masked horror movie killer known simply as Johnny. They are then stalked through the woods and gruesomely dispatched.
While it might sound like a typical horror movie, In a Violent Nature sets itself apart with the intriguing approach of telling the story from the perspective of the killer rather than the victims. This is a fun new take on the genre and it puts the friend characters in a unique position where they feel like this other presence in the movie instead of the main focus. The movie also stands out in the genre thanks to its particularly gory kills.
31 Alien: Romulus (2024)
A Group Of Friends Encounter A Xenomorph On An Abandoned Space Station
Alien: Romulus was a welcome return for the Alien franchise, paying homage to many of the best moments from this iconic series. However, the movie also takes a new approach in terms of the main characters. Rather than focusing on a group of marines, space transporters, or prisoners like the other films, it focuses on a group of young friends who become targeted by the terrifying xenomorph.
The age and close relationship of the characters add a lot to the movie. While the Alien franchise has typically had strong characters, the audience can really feel fear for these young friends who are trying to get out of this situation alive. They care about each other which makes the audience care as well, even though it is clear not all of them are going to make it out alive.
30 X (2022)
Friends Making An Adult Film Run Afoul Of A Murderous Elderly Couple
Ti West’s horror movie trilogy kicked off with the 70s-set exploitation homage X. The movie is set up like a typical story of friends on an easygoing trip who find themselves in a dangerous situation. However, there is a bit of a twist to this tale as the group of friends in this case are looking to shoot an adult movie.
Unfortunately, they picked the wrong farm to film on as the elderly couple who own it targets the young characters in brutal ways. In the era of 70s slasher movies, a group of adult filmmakers would have been easy fodder to be butchered.
However, X uses the stereotypical presentation of such characters to create an ensemble of more complex characters than audiences might expect. They care for each other, take pride in their work, and are genuinely decent people. While the prequel Pearl focused on a single titular character, X has a lot of fun with its solid collection of colorful characters. It’s also ideal to watch ahead of MaXXXine, the third entry in the series.
29 Jennifer’s Body (2009)
A Timid High Schooler Deals With Her Best Friend Becoming A Demon
Jennifer’s Body presents an interesting question about what someone should do if their best friend becomes a man-eating demon. The horror-comedy written by Oscar-winner Diablo Cody stars Megan Fox as a young high schooler who is possessed and begins preying on the boys in her school to keep her sustained.
Amanda Seyfried plays her best friend who is dealing with Megan’s change in personality as well as suspecting she might be a danger. It is a funny movie that plays on high school popularity and the awkwardness of teen years while also being a fun gory monster movie.
However, the female friendship in the horror movie is one of the best aspects of Jennifer’s Body as it is not something usually explored in the genre. The changing dynamic between these friends feels grounded and relatable even if the supernatural aspects are not.
28 Urban Legend (2000)
Friends At College Are Targeted By A Hooded Serial Killer
Urban Legend is one of the most forgotten slasher movies to come out in the wake of the success of Scream. It presents a clever premise as it follows a group of young friends at a university as the people around them start dying. It soon becomes clear that the unknown killer is picking off these students based on popular urban legends.
The whodunnit aspect of the movie is not as effective as it is in Scream or even I Know What You Did Last Summer. There are too many red herrings thrown at the audience, but it becomes clear that one of the central friends is the real killer, which ends up being a solid reveal.
There is also an interesting aspect in that the final girl at the center of the movie is being targeted with those around her being killed simply for being friends with her, adding to how crucial the group of friends is to the overall story.
27 The Ritual (2017)
Adult Friends Encounter Evil During A Hike
One of the great hiking horror movies, The Ritual follows a group of friends who set out on a trek into the woods, reuniting to remember their friend who was killed. They soon encounter strange things within the dense forests of Sweden and eventually find that the forest seems to be expanding with no way of getting out. The nightmare truly sets in when they become stalked by a supernatural entity that commands a cult within the woods.
The Ritual is a vastly underrated horror movie with some beautiful imagery and one of the most unique horror movie monster designs in recent memory. It is also an interesting examination of this central friendship as one of the friends is grappling with the guilt he feels over the death of their late friend. It is a rare look at adult friendship in the genre and is surprisingly moving in that regard.
26 Attack The Block (2011)
A Gang Of Youths Take On Invading Aliens
Attack the Block is one of the rare group of friends horror movies that focuses on a young cast. The movie follows a group of troublemaking youths, led by John Boyega in his breakout role before his Star Wars fame. While they spend their time doing petty crimes and intimidating people, they find their chance to be heroes when aliens begin invading their city.
They are easy to root for, and it’s genuinely heartbreaking when they don’t all make it out alive.
Writer-director Joe Cornish is a longtime collaborator of Edgar Wright, and it is clear to see their similar styles with Attack the Block using the same comedic energy while never undercutting the thrills of the story. The young heroes make for an endearing group of friends who are much more complex than they initially seem. They prove themselves brave heroes as well as formidable foes for these aliens to face. They are easy to root for, and it’s genuinely heartbreaking when they don’t all make it out alive.
25 Green Room (2015)
A Punk Rock Group Is Targeted By Neo-Nazis
Part of what makes these horror movies so effective is that seeing these friends together makes them into richer characters that the audience wants to see survive the ordeal. That is all the more impactful when it becomes clear that not all of them will. Green Room is an exceptional, small horror movie about a punk rock band who reluctantly take a gig playing at a compound for neo-Nazis. However, after witnessing a murder, they find themselves trapped and targeted by their hosts.
The movie is also notable for giving Patrick Stewart his best villain role as the head of the Nazi group.
Green Room is one of the most unsettlingly realistic horror movies with the violence and evil in the movie being portrayed as so matter of fact. The friends are shown to be real characters who react in relatable ways without Hollywood storytelling flourishes. The short time the audience spends with them before chaos strikes is extremely effective is establishing their bond. The movie is also notable for giving Patrick Stewart his best villain role as the head of the Nazi group.
24 Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Friends Begin To Suspect One Of Them Is A Killer During A Late-Night Party
One of the most underrated A24 horror movies that have come out in recent years, Bodies Bodies Bodies mixes elements of horror, comedy, and a whodunnit mystery. The movie follows a bunch of young and spoiled friends having a wild party at the mansion owned by one of their parents. However, when their night of fun is shaken by one of them dying, they realize there is a killer in the group.
The movie does a number of clever things with its approach to the group-of-friends horror trope. It has a lot of fun satirizing as well as examining the young culture of the modern world with some funny and insightful things to say. It is also fun to see the group of friends turn on each other when it becomes a life-or-death scenario. The murder mystery aspect of trying to figure out which of the friends is the killer also has a great conclusion that recontextualizes the entire movie.
23 House Of Wax (2005)
Friends Encounter The Sadistic Secrets Of A Wax Museum
The 2005 film House of Wax is a remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum, which was released in 1933, and best known for Paris Hilton having a starring role. There are several characters in this group of friends horror movie who go on a road trip: Nick and Carly, who are brother and sister, and their pals Dalton, Blake, Paige, and Wade.
House of Wax
was critically slammed when it was first released, but it has since become something of a cult classic and something of a guilty pleasure.
While they’re trying to go to a football game, they find themselves in an abandoned area and stumble upon the wax museum, which is an incredibly creepy setting. It’s easy to imagine how freaked out everyone is and how they wish that they had never found this place at all. House of Wax was critically slammed when it was first released, but it has since become something of a cult classic and something of a guilty pleasure.
22 Host (2020)
Friends On A Video Call Are Picked Off One By One
Host is one of the many movies born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the most part, it’s one of the most successful and great horror films about doomed friends. Haley and her friends are keeping in touch on Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic but when Haley adds a medium to the chat, they are each attacked by spirits.
It’s a creative story, and the characters are great friends shown by the easy, natural conversations they havewith one another. For their easy-going chat to increasingly become hostile and deadly feels real thanks to the rapport the characters establish. The fact that they also have to watch each other put in danger while being unable to help also adds an interesting dynamic. How well Host will age is uncertain, as being so closely connected to the event of the time of its release could hold it back.
21 As Above, So Below (2014)
Friends Find Sinister Secrets In The Catacombs Of Paris
As Above, So Below is a found footage horror movie that tells the story of Scarlett, who wants to find the philosopher’s stone because that was her dad’s quest. The movie follows people visiting the Catacombs of Paris and filming their experience for a documentary. Scarlett explores with a guide named Papillon, Papillon’s pal Zed, Papillon’s girlfriend Souxie, and Scarlett’s ex George.
While it might borrow a lot of its narrative from
The Descent
it does enough differently to stand on its own.
It’s fascinating seeing a group of friends in this setting that mixes horror and adventure. There is an excitement about the group naming this exploration together only to be torn apart by the horrors they face. While it might borrow a lot of its narrative from The Descent it does enough differently to stand on its own. What makes As Above, So Below most unique is its Paris setting, making for one of the surprisingly nicest-looking horror movies, even if it is mostly set in a cave.
20 Cabin Fever (2002)
A Deadly Virus Breaks Out During A Cabin Vacation
Horror movies set in the woods are a well-known trope of the genre and can make for an effective point of isolation for a group of friends to experience some real terror. Cabin Fever is exactly that, as it follows a group of friends stuck in a cabin when all hell breaks loose. While groups of friends in cabins is essentially a subgenre of horror, as there are so many of them, Cabin Fever does something much different with the formula.
Instead of a zombie attack or a demon possession, the movie is about a deadly virus that has disgusting effects. Bert, Paul, Karen, Marcy, and Jeff just want to have some fun on spring break by going away to a cabin, but they get more time in nature than they bargained for when they come across a flesh-eating virus. Roth plays on the merciless way he turns the plans for good times with friends into a nightmare of gruesome horror that is sometimes hard to watch.
19 Head Count (2018)
Friends On Vacation Accidentally Summon An Evil Entity
Joshua Tree is a great location for a horror movie, as it’s in the middle of nowhere, and the sweltering heat certainly won’t help the situation, not to mention that the location is heavily linked to psychedelics, which will make any potential victims hallucinate the worst things.
It is used effectively in the underseen horror movie Head Count. The movie follows Evan, who is spending time in the picturesque area when he meets a group of friends who are all about having fun. He hangs out with them and ends up staying with them at their rental house.
Head Count has it all: a close group of characters, a beautiful location, and a supernatural entity, as the teenagers summon a paranormal presence that mimics their appearances, a la The Thing. It is a great way to play on the distrust that can take hold of a group of friends in a horror setting as their close bonds are suddenly shattered. The addition of Evan as an outsider in the group also adds an interesting element.
18 Malevolent (2018)
A Group Of Fake Ghost Hunters Encounter Real Horror
Malevolent offers an interesting twist on the usual group of friends horror movie plot, as Jackson and Angela are siblings who pretend to look into supernatural occurrences in houses. They work with a crew, and the characters have become friendly with each other as they are lying about what they can do and just trying to make money. Of course, they soon find their next job offers something they weren’t anticipating.
Florence Pugh has become a certified scream queen and one of the best horror actors working today
Malevolent is one of the best supernatural horrors that many people might not have seen, and Angela and Jackson are compelling, tough characters and interesting con artists. Despite the duplicity of the characters, the friendships and bonds ensure that the audience still cares about them as things gradually get intense. Between Malevolent and Midsommar, Florence Pugh has become a certified scream queen and one of the best horror actors working today.
17 I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
A Group Of Friends With A Dark Secret Are Targeted By A Killer
Following the phenomenal success of Scream, so many studios rushed slasher movies into production, and none of them made a bigger splash than I Know What You Did Last Summer. While it was criticized for being too derivative of Scream without the clever satire, I Know What You Did Last Summer is such an underrated late ’90s slasher movie with a great young cast that has incredible chemistry.
The 1997 movie isn’t attempting to reinvent the wheel, and it simply delivers on being a fun mystery movie involving a group of friends.
The 1997 movie isn’t attempting to reinvent the wheel, and it simply delivers on being a fun mystery movie involving a group of friends. It is interesting to see the carefree friends torn apart from a dark secret and being confronted with the consequences in deadly fashion. The movie was also clearly inspired by classics like Prom Night and packaged into a cool 90s movie. I Know What You Did Last Summer is ultimately a great genre piece that the entire cast and crew were enthusiastic about, and it shows on the screen.
16 The Babysitter (2017)
A Babysitter And Her Friends Plan To Kill A Young Boy As A Cult Sacrifice
The Babysitter cleverly flips the idea of horror movies surrounding a group of friends on its head. While most examples see the friend groups being tormented by spirits, becoming possessed, or fighting for survival, the friends in The Babysitter are the bad guys. The 2017 movie follows Cole (Judah Lewis), a 12-year-old boy who finds out that his babysitter is part of a satanic cult.
Between the buckets of blood and the subtle humor,
The Babysitter
features a standout performance by Samara Weaving.
The Babysitter gets more outrageous when it’s revealed that the cult plans to kill Cole. The movie is a perfect blend of comedy and horror, and it’s full of energy, and for a horror movie, it’s surprisingly rewatchable. Between the buckets of blood and the subtle humor, The Babysitter features a standout performance by Samara Weaving. A sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, which stars Jenna Ortega, was released in 2020 and is almost as good as the original film.
